NTSB gives closer look to "Approach Failures"

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ATLANTA - US National Transportation Safety Board investigates "Approach Failures" on Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and New York John F. Kennedy.

Since these airports narrowly missed a catastrophe in recent months, the NTSB is now paying close attention to similar incidents.

In the morning of November 29, 2017, low-hanging clouds significantly reduced the visibility of the tower and the cockpit windows at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Under these conditions, Delta 2196 is expected toward land on Runway 09R, but the Boeing 737-900ER shears off the approach corridor.

The pilots of the 737-900ER have completed the instrument approach procedurally at the decision height after they could make visual contact with the runway,

said Delta to the incident. At 200 feet, the pilots gave thrust again to the engines.

The co-pilot later stated that he had corrected the approach too much to the left under adverse conditions. According to the findings of the NTSB, the 737-900ER got a mile off the runway threshold on the wrong side and flew toward Taxiway November, on which another plane was on its way.

Eight years ago, a Delta flight in Atlanta accidentally landed on a free taxiway. A confusion that the NTSB later attributed to tired pilots after a night flight.

Pilots confuse runways

Incidents of this kind are not rare. On December 5th this year, a Volaris A319 crew tested the air traffic controllers at New York JFK. The flight Y4-880 approached Runway 13R but landed at 13L. The confusion could have ended badly.

Because on 13R, there was an Embraer E170 from Delta. The Embraer pilots aborted in the direction of the air traffic controller's instructions and cleared the runway, writes the "Aviation Herald".

Near disaster in San Francisco

Another dangerous situation was avoided at the last minute in San Francisco International Airport. On July 7, an Air Canada Airbus A320 under visual flight rules set itself on the wrong approach corridor.

Four aircraft were waiting there, including a fully fueled and occupied Boeing 787-9 and an Airbus A340. An evaluation by the NTSB revealed that the Airbus had approached the ground to 18 meters (60 feet) and crossed over the four lined-up aircraft.